Infrastructure, storylines should make for enjoyable 2017 W&S Open

MASON – The collective gaze of world tennis is set to turn to Greater Cincinnati, and the 2017 Western & Southern Open – its grounds, staff, and the players set to take part – couldn't be more ready.

The 2017 edition of the Western & Southern, already one of the biggest events on the worldwide tennis calendar, will be bolstered this year by plentiful on-court storylines and off-court improvements to the venue's infrastructure.

For all matters related to on-court issues, the Western & Southern's usual high standard for competition and intrigue remains consistent with past iterations of the competition.

After the scheduled conclusion of qualifying matches and a select few first-round matches Sunday, sunrise in Mason on Monday will mark the beginning of a week that will end with new No. 1 world rankings in the men's and women's games.

On the women's side, five players – No. 1-seed Karolina Pliskova, No. 2-seed Simona Halep, No. 4-seed Garbine Muguruza, No. 5-seed Elina Ostapenko and No. 6-seed Caroline Wozniacki – could all leave Greater Cincinnati as the top-ranked player in the world by the end of next week.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR – THE BATTLE BETWEEN YOUNG AND OLD HIGHLIGHTED AT W&S OPEN

Casual tennis fans will come to the Lindner Family Tennis Center fully aware of the great women's single tennis champions like Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber, just as they know the Federer's and Nadal's of the men's game.

But what of 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko's (Latvia, world-ranked No. 12 player) of the women's game? And where's the facetime for the next generation of American men coming through the ranks that should soon step forward?

Western & Southern Open Tournament Director Andre Silva and his colleagues are working on marketing the pronounced back-and-forth war between the game's established champions and rising stars in both the men's and women's games.

"In general, while the established players have continued to dominate, they're still there and a lot of the names are names that people know," Silva said. "I think it's a cool time to watch the clash because I think it's coming. You have the younger players who are going to be challenging the established players. Father time never loses, so it's just a matter of time. Hopefully we can continue this conflict of established versus new."

WHO'S MISSING IN MASON?

Even big tournaments like the Western & Southern aren't immune to players dropping out of the field.